Examine individual changes

'{{Infobox writing system |name=Urdu alphabet |altname=<span style="font-weight:normal; position: relative; top: 0.2em; line-height: 2em">{{Nastaliq|اردو تہجی}}</span> |type=Abjad |languages= [[Urdu]], [[Balti language|Balti]], [[Burushaski]], others |sample=Urdu example.svg |imagesize=120px |caption=Example of writing in the Urdu alphabet: ''Urdu'' |time= |fam1=[[Proto-Sinaitic alphabet|Proto-Sinaitic]] |fam2=[[Phoenician alphabet|Phoenician]] |fam3=[[Aramaic alphabet|Aramaic]] |fam4=[[Nabataean alphabet|Nabataean]] |fam5=[[Arabic alphabet|Arabic]] |fam6=[[Persian alphabet|Perso-Arabic]] |unicode=[http://www.unicode.org/charts/PDF/U0600.pdf U+0600 to U+06FF]<br /> [http://www.unicode.org/charts/PDF/U0750.pdf U+0750 to U+077F]<br /> [http://www.unicode.org/charts/PDF/UFB50.pdf U+FB50 to U+FDFF]<br /> [http://www.unicode.org/charts/PDF/UFE70.pdf U+FE70 to U+FEFF] }} {{Arabic script sidebar|Urdu}} {{Contains Urdu text}} The '''Urdu alphabet''' is the [[right-to-left]] [[alphabet]] used for the [[Urdu|Urdu language]]. It is a modification of the [[Persian alphabet]] known as Perso-Arabic, which is itself a derivative of the [[Arabic alphabet]]. The Urdu alphabet has up to 58 letters.<ref>http://www.omniglot.com/writing/urdu.htm</ref> With 39 basic letters and no distinct letter cases, the Urdu alphabet is typically written in the [[calligraphic]] [[Nastaʿlīq script]], whereas [[Arabic language|Arabic]] is more commonly in the [[Naskh (script)|Naskh]] style. Usually, bare transliterations of Urdu into Roman letters (called [[Roman Urdu]]) omit many [[phoneme|phonemic]] elements that have no equivalent in English or other languages commonly written in the [[Latin script]]. The [[National Language Authority]] of [[Pakistan]] has developed a number of systems with specific notations to signify non-English sounds, but these can only be properly read by someone already familiar with the loan letters.{{Citation needed|date=September 2009}} == History == The [[Urdu language]] emerged as a distinct register of [[Hindustani language|Hindustani]] well before the [[Partition of India]]. It is distinguished most by its extensive [[Persian language|Persian]] influences (Persian having been the official language of the [[Mughal Empire|Mughal government]] and the most prominent [[lingua franca]] of the Indian subcontinent for several centuries before the solidification of British colonial rule during the 19th century). The standard Urdu script is a modified version of the [[Perso-Arabic script]] and has its origins in 13th century [[Iran]] . It is closely related to the development of the [[Nastaliq]] style of [[Perso-Arabic script]] . [[Urdu]] script in its extended form is known as [[Shahmukhi alphabet|Shahmukhi]] script and is used for writing other [[Indo-Aryan languages]] of North [[Indian subcontinent]] like [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]] and [[Saraiki alphabet|Saraiki]] as well. Despite the invention of the [[Urdu keyboard|Urdu typewriter]] in 1911, Urdu newspapers continued to publish prints of handwritten scripts by calligraphers known as ''[[katib]]s'' or ''[[khush-navees]]'' until the late 1980s. The [[Pakistan]]i [[national newspaper]] ''[[Daily Jang]]'' was the first Urdu [[newspaper]] to use ''Nastaʿlīq'' computer-based composition. There are efforts under way to develop more sophisticated and user-friendly Urdu support on computers and the [[internet]]. Nowadays, nearly all Urdu newspapers, magazines, journals, and periodicals are composed on computers with Urdu software programs. Urdu and [[Hindi language|Hindi]], an official federal language of [[India]], are different registers of the same language, and thus they are mutually intelligible and can use each other's script to write the other's language. Usage of script generally signifies the user's faith: Muslims generally use the Urdu (Perso-Arabic) script, while Hindus use the [[Devanagari]] script. In addition to Pakistan, the Urdu script is official in five states of India with a substantial percentage of Hindustani-speaking Muslims: [[Bihar]], [[Delhi]], [[Jammu and Kashmir]], [[Telangana]], and [[Uttar Pradesh]]. Other than the [[Indian subcontinent]], the Urdu script is also used by [[Pakistani diaspora|Pakistan's large diaspora]], including in the [[United Kingdom]], the [[United Arab Emirates]], the [[United States]], [[Canada]], [[Saudi Arabia]], and other places.<ref name="omniglot">[http://www.omniglot.com/writing/urdu.htm "Urdu"]. Omniglot.com.</ref> == Nastaʿlīq == {{Main|Nastaʿlīq script}} The Nastaʿlīq calligraphic writing style began as a [[Persian alphabet|Persian]] mixture of scripts [[Naskh (script)|Naskh]] and [[Ta'liq (script)|Ta'liq]]. After the [[Muslim conquest in the Indian subcontinent|Mughal conquest]], Nasta'liq became the preferred writing style for Urdu. It is the dominant style in [[Pakistan]], and many Urdu writers elsewhere in the world use it. Nastaʿlīq is more cursive and flowing than its [[Naskh (script)|Naskh]] counterpart. == Alphabet == The Urdu script is an [[abjad]] script derived from [[Perso-Arabic script|Perso-Arabic Script]], which is itself a derivative of the [[Arabic script]]. The Urdu alphabet was standardized in 2004 by the [[National Language Authority]], which is responsible for standardizing Urdu in [[Pakistan]]. According to the National Language Authority, Urdu has 58 letters of which 39 are basic letters while 18 are [[Digraph (orthography)|digraphs]] to represent [[Aspirated consonant]] made by attaching basic consonant letters with a variant of [[He (letter)|He]] called Do Chasham He.<ref name="alphabets">[http://www.dawn.com/news/919270/controversy-over-number-of-letters-in-urdu-alphabet "Controversy over number of letters in Urdu alphabet"]</ref><ref name="alphabets1">[http://www.cle.org.pk/Publication/papers/2007/corpus_based_urdu_lexicon_development.pdf "Corpus Based Urdu Lexicon Development "]</ref><ref>http://www.omniglot.com/writing/urdu.htm</ref> [[Taw#T.C4.81.CA.BC marb.C5.AB.E1.B9.ADah|Tāʼ marbūṭah]] is also sometimes considered a letter though it is rarely used except for in certain loan words from [[Arabic]]. As an abjad, the Urdu script only shows consonants and long vowels; short vowels can only be inferred by the consonants' relation to each other. While this type of script is convenient in [[Semitic languages]] like Arabic and [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]], whose consonant roots are the key of the sentence, Urdu is an [[Indo-European language]], which does not have the same luxury, hence necessitating more memorization. Urdu has more letters added to the Persian base to represent sounds not present in Persian, which already has additional letters added to the Arabic base itself to represent sounds not present in Arabic. The letters added include: [[Ṭe]] to represent [[voiceless retroflex stop|/ʈ/]], [[Arabic script#Special letters|Ḍal]] to represent [[voiced retroflex stop|/ɖ/]], [[Arabic script#Special letters|Ṛe]] to represent [[retroflex flap|/ɽ/]], [[Nasal vowel#Orthography|Nun ghunnah]] to represent [[nasal vowel|/◌̃/]], and [[Arabic script#Special letters|Baṛi ye]] to represent [[open-mid front unrounded vowel|/ɛ:/]] or [[Close-mid front unrounded vowel|/e:/]]. Furthermore, a separate [[He (letter)|He]] letter, called Chotti He, exists to denote a [[aspirated consonant|/ʰ/]] or a [[murmured voice|/ʱ/]]. This letter is mainly used as part of the multitude of digraphs, detailed below. {| class="wikitable" style=text-align:center |- |- !No. !colspan="2"|Name{{sfn|Delacy|2003|p=XV–XVI}} !ALA-LC<ref name="LoC">{{cite web|title=Urdu romanization|url=https://www.loc.gov/catdir/cpso/romanization/urdu.pdf|publisher=The Library of Congress}}</ref> ![[Hunterian transliteration|Hunterian]]<ref name="Hunterian">Geographical Names Romanization in Pakistan. UNGEGN, 18th Session. Geneva, 12–23 August 1996. Working Papers [http://unstats.un.org/unsd/geoinfo/UNGEGN/docs/18th-gegn-docs/18th_gegn_WP85.pdf No. 85] and [http://unstats.un.org/unsd/geoinfo/UNGEGN/docs/18th-gegn-docs/18th_gegn_WP85-ad1.pdf No. 85 Add. 1.]</ref> ![[International Phonetic Alphabet|IPA]] !Isolated glyph |- | 1 | {{Nastaliq|الف}} | ''alif'' |colspan="2"| ''ā'', ʾ, – | {{IPA|/ɑː, ʔ, ∅/}} | style="height:150%;padding:10px;font-size: 160%;" colspan="2" | {{lang|ur|{{Nastaliq|[[ا]]}}}} |- | 2 | {{Nastaliq|بے}} | ''be'' |colspan="2"| ''b'' | {{IPA|/b/}} | style="height:150%;padding:10px;font-size: 160%;" | {{lang|ur|{{Nastaliq|[[ب]]}}}} |- | 3 | {{Nastaliq|پے}} | ''pe'' |colspan="2"| ''p'' | {{IPA|/p/}} | style="height:150%;padding:10px;font-size: 160%;" | {{lang|ur|{{Nastaliq|[[پ]]}}}} |- | 4 | {{Nastaliq|تے}} | ''te'' |colspan="2"| ''t'' | {{IPA|/t̪/}} | style="height:150%;padding:10px;font-size: 160%;" | {{lang|ur|{{Nastaliq|[[ت]]}}}} |- | 5 | {{Nastaliq|ٹے}} | ''ṭe'' | ''ṭ'' | ''t'' | {{IPA|/ʈ/}} | style="height:150%;padding:10px;font-size: 160%;" | {{lang|ur|{{Nastaliq|[[ٹ]]}}}} |- | 6 | {{Nastaliq|ثے}} | ''s̱e'' | ''s̱'' | ''s'' | {{IPA|/s/}} | style="height:150%;padding:10px;font-size: 160%;" | {{lang|ur|{{Nastaliq|[[ث]]}}}} |- | 7 | {{Nastaliq|جیمـ}} | ''jīm'' |colspan="2"| ''j'' | {{IPA|/d͡ʒ/}} | style="height:150%;padding:10px;font-size: 160%;" | {{lang|ur|{{Nastaliq|[[ج]]}}}} |- | 8 | {{Nastaliq|چيمـ}} | ''cīm'' | ''c'' | ''ch'' | {{IPA|/t͡ʃ/}} | style="height:150%;padding:10px;font-size: 160%;" | {{lang|ur|{{Nastaliq|[[چ]]}}}} |- | 9 | {{Nastaliq|بڑی حا}} | ''baṛī ḥa'' | ''ḥ'' | ''h'' | {{IPA|/h, ɦ/}} | style="height:150%;padding:10px;font-size: 160%;" | {{lang|ur|{{Nastaliq|[[ح]]}}}} |- | 10 | {{Nastaliq|خا}} | ''<u>kh</u>a'' | ''<u>kh</u>'' | ''kh'' | {{IPA|/x/}} | style="height:150%;padding:10px;font-size: 160%;" | {{lang|ur|{{Nastaliq|[[خ]]}}}} |- | 11 | {{Nastaliq|دال}} | ''dāl'' |colspan="2"| ''d'' | {{IPA|/d̪/}} | style="height:150%;padding:10px;font-size: 160%;" colspan="2"| {{lang|ur|{{Nastaliq|[[د]]}}}} |- | 12 | {{Nastaliq|ڈال}} | ''ḍāl'' | ''ḍ'' | ''d'' | {{IPA|/ɖ/}} | style="height:150%;padding:10px;font-size: 160%;" colspan="2" | {{lang|ur|{{Nastaliq|[[ڈ]]}}}} |- | 13 | {{Nastaliq|ذال}} | ''ẕāl'' | ''ẕ'' | ''z'' | {{IPA|/z/}} | style="height:150%;padding:10px;font-size: 160%;" colspan="2" | {{lang|ur|{{Nastaliq|[[ذ]]}}}} |- | 14 | {{Nastaliq|رے}} | ''re'' |colspan="2"| ''r'' | {{IPA|/r/}} | style="height:150%;padding:10px;font-size: 160%;" colspan="2" | {{lang|ur|{{Nastaliq|[[ر]]}}}} |- | 15 | {{Nastaliq|ڑے}} | ''ṛe'' | ''ṛ'' | ''r'' | {{IPA|/ɽ/}} | style="height:150%;padding:10px;font-size: 160%;" colspan="2" | {{lang|ur|{{Nastaliq|[[ڑ]]}}}} |- | 16 | {{Nastaliq|زے}} | ''ze'' |colspan="2"| ''z'' | {{IPA|/z/}} | style="height:150%;padding:10px;font-size: 160%;" colspan="2" | {{lang|ur|{{Nastaliq|[[ز]]}}}} |- | 17 | {{Nastaliq|ژے}} | ''<u>zh</u>e'' | ''<u>zh</u>'' | ''zh'' | {{IPA|/ʒ/}} | style="height:150%;padding:10px;font-size: 160%;" colspan="2" | {{lang|ur|{{Nastaliq|[[ژ]]}}}} |- | 18 | {{Nastaliq|سین}} | ''sīn'' |colspan="2"| ''s'' | {{IPA|/s/}} | style="height:150%;padding:10px;font-size: 160%;" | {{lang|ur|{{Nastaliq|[[س]]}}}} |- | 19 | {{Nastaliq|شین}} | ''<u>sh</u>īn'' | ''<u>sh</u>'' | ''sh'' | {{IPA|/ʃ/}} | style="height:150%;padding:10px;font-size: 160%;" | {{lang|ur|{{Nastaliq|[[ش]]}}}} |- | 20 | {{Nastaliq|صواد}} | ''ṣwād'' | ''ṣ'' | ''s'' | {{IPA|/s/}} | style="height:150%;padding:10px;font-size: 160%;" | {{lang|ur|{{Nastaliq|[[ص]]}}}} |- | 21 | {{Nastaliq|ضواد}} | ''ẓwād'' | ''ẓ'' | ''z'' | {{IPA|/z/}} | style="height:150%;padding:10px;font-size: 160%;" | {{lang|ur|{{Nastaliq|[[ض]]}}}} |- | 22 | {{Nastaliq|طوئے}} | ''t̤oʾe'' | ''t̤'' | ''t'' | {{IPA|/t̪/}} | style="height:150%;padding:10px;font-size: 160%;" | {{lang|ur|{{Nastaliq|[[ط]]}}}} |- | 23 | {{Nastaliq|ظوئے}} | ''z̤oʾe'' | ''z̤'' | ''z'' | {{IPA|/z/}} | style="height:150%;padding:10px;font-size: 160%;" | {{lang|ur|{{Nastaliq|[[ظ]]}}}} |- | 24 | {{Nastaliq|عین}} | ''ʿain'' |colspan="2"| ''ā'', ''o'', ''e'', ʿ, – | {{IPA|/ɑː, oː, eː, ʔ, ʕ, ∅/}} | style="height:150%;padding:10px;font-size: 160%;" | {{lang|ur|{{Nastaliq|[[ع]]}}}} |- | 25 | {{Nastaliq|غین}} | ''<u>gh</u>ain'' | ''<u>gh</u>'' | ''gh'' | {{IPA|/ɣ/}} | style="height:150%;padding:10px;font-size: 160%;" | {{lang|ur|{{Nastaliq|[[غ]]}}}} |- | 26 | {{Nastaliq|فے}} | ''fe'' |colspan="2"| ''f'' | {{IPA|/f/}} | style="height:150%;padding:10px;font-size: 160%;" | {{lang|ur|{{Nastaliq|[[ف]]}}}} |- | 27 | {{Nastaliq|قاف}} | ''qāf'' |colspan="2"| ''q'' | {{IPA|/q/}} | style="height:150%;padding:10px;font-size: 160%;" | {{lang|ur|{{Nastaliq|[[ق]]}}}} |- | 28 | {{Nastaliq|كاف}} | ''kāf'' |colspan="2"| ''k'' | {{IPA|/k/}} | style="height:150%;padding:10px;font-size: 160%;" | {{lang|ur|{{Nastaliq|[[ك]]}}}} |- | 29 | {{Nastaliq|گاف}} | ''gāf'' |colspan="2"| ''g'' | {{IPA|/ɡ/}} | style="height:150%;padding:10px;font-size: 160%;" | {{lang|ur|{{Nastaliq|[[گ]]}}}} |- | 30 | {{Nastaliq|لام}} | ''lām'' |colspan="2"| ''l'' | {{IPA|/l/}} | style="height:150%;padding:10px;font-size: 160%;" | {{lang|ur|{{Nastaliq|[[ل]]}}}} |- | 31 | {{Nastaliq|میمـ}} | ''mīm'' |colspan="2"| ''m'' | {{IPA|/m/}} | style="height:150%;padding:10px;font-size: 160%;" | {{lang|ur|{{Nastaliq|[[م]]}}}} |- | 32a | {{Nastaliq|نون}} | ''nūn'' |colspan="2"| ''n'' | {{IPA|/n, ɲ, ɳ, ŋ/}} | style="height:150%;padding:10px;font-size: 160%;" | {{lang|ur|{{Nastaliq|[[ن]]}}}} |- | 32b | {{Nastaliq|نون غنه}} | ''nūn <u>gh</u>unnah'' | ''ṉ'' | ''n'' | {{IPA|/[[Nasal vowel|◌̃]]/}} | style="height:150%;padding:10px;font-size: 160%;" | {{lang|ur|{{Nastaliq|[[ں]]}}}} |- | 33 | {{Nastaliq|واؤ}} | ''wāʾo'' | ''v'', ''ū'', ''o'', ''au'' | ''w'', ''ū'', ''o'', ''au'' | {{IPA|/ʋ, uː, oː, ɔː/}} | style="height:150%;padding:10px;font-size: 160%;" colspan="2" | {{lang|ur|{{Nastaliq|[[و]]}}}} |- | 34 | {{Nastaliq|چهٹي هے}} | ''choṭī he'' |colspan="2"| ''h'' | {{IPA|/h, ɦ/}} or {{IPA|/∅/}} | style="height:150%;padding:10px;font-size: 160%;" | {{lang|ur|{{Nastaliq|[[ه]]}}}} |- | 35 | {{Nastaliq|دو چشمي هے}} | ''do-ca<u>sh</u>mī he'' |colspan="2"| ''h'' | {{IPA|/ʰ/}} or {{IPA|/ʱ/}} | style="height:150%;padding:10px;font-size: 160%;" | {{lang|ur|{{Nastaliq|[[ھ]]}}}} |- | 36 | {{Nastaliq|همزه}} | ''hamzah'' |colspan="2"| ʾ, – | {{IPA|/ʔ/}}, {{IPA|/∅/}} | style="height:150%;padding:10px;font-size: 160%;" colspan="4" | {{lang|ur|{{Nastaliq|[[ء]]}}}} |- | 37 | {{Nastaliq|چھوٹي يے}} | ''choṭī ye'' |colspan="2"| ''y'', ''ī'', ''á'' | {{IPA|/j, iː, ɑː/}} | style="height:150%;padding:10px;font-size: 160%;" | {{lang|ur|{{Nastaliq|[[ي]]}}}} |- | 38 | {{Nastaliq|بڑي يے}} | ''baṛī ye'' |colspan="2"| ''ai, e'' | {{IPA|/ɛː, eː/}} | style="height:150%;padding:10px;font-size: 160%;" | {{lang|ur|{{Nastaliq|[[ے]]}}}} |} The [[Digraph (orthography)|digraphs]] of [[Aspirated consonant]] are as follow. {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" | '''Digraph'''<ref name="LoC"/> | '''Transcription'''<ref name="LoC"/> | '''IPA''' |- | style="font-size: 150%"|{{Nastaliq|بھ}} | ''bh'' | {{IPA|[bʱ]}} |- | style="font-size: 150%"|{{Nastaliq|پھ}} | ''ph'' | {{IPA|[pʰ]}} |- | style="font-size: 150%"|{{Nastaliq|تھ}} | ''th'' | {{IPA|[t̪ʰ]}} |- | style="font-size: 150%"|{{Nastaliq|ٹھ}} | ''ṭh'' | {{IPA|[ʈʰ]}} |- | style="font-size: 150%"|{{Nastaliq|جھ}} | ''jh'' | {{IPA|[d͡ʒʰ]}} |- | style="font-size: 150%"|{{Nastaliq|چھ}} | ''ch'' | {{IPA|[t͡ʃʰ]}} |- | style="font-size: 150%"|{{Nastaliq|دھ}} | ''dh'' | {{IPA|[d̪ʱ]}} |- | style="font-size: 150%"|{{Nastaliq|ڈھ}} | ''ḍh'' | {{IPA|[ɖʱ]}} |- | style="font-size: 150%"|{{Nastaliq|رھ}} | ''rh'' | {{IPA|[rʱ]}} |- | style="font-size: 150%"|{{Nastaliq|ڑھ}} | ''ṛh'' | {{IPA|[ɽʱ]}} |- | style="font-size: 150%"|{{Nastaliq|کھ}} | ''kh'' | {{IPA|[kʰ]}} |- | style="font-size: 150%"|{{Nastaliq|گھ}} | ''gh'' | {{IPA|[ɡʱ]}} |- | style="font-size: 150%"|{{Nastaliq|لھ}} | ''lh'' | {{IPA|[lʱ]}} |- | style="font-size: 150%"|{{Nastaliq|مھ}} | ''mh'' | {{IPA|[mʱ]}} |- | style="font-size: 150%"|{{Nastaliq|نھ}} | ''nh'' | {{IPA|[nʱ]}} |- | style="font-size: 150%"|{{Nastaliq|وھ}} | ''wh'' | {{IPA|[ʋʱ]}} |- | style="font-size: 150%"|{{Nastaliq|یھ}} | ''yh'' | {{IPA|[jʱ]}} |} == Vowels == The [[Urdu]] language has 10 vowels and 10 nasalized vowels. Each vowel has four forms depending on its position: initial, middle, final and isolated. Like in its parent [[Arabic alphabet]], Urdu vowels are represented using a combination of digraphs and diacritics. [[Aleph|Alif]], [[Waw (letter)|Waw]], [[Yodh|Ye]], [[He (letter)|He]] and their variants are used to represent vowels. === Vowel chart === Urdu doesn't have standalone vowel letters. Short vowels (''a'', ''i'', ''u'') are represented by optional diacritics (''zabar'', ''zer'', ''pesh'') upon the preceding consonant or a placeholder consonant (''alif'', ''ain'', or ''hamzah'') if the syllable begins with the vowel, and long vowels by consonants ''alif'', ''ain'', ''ye'', and ''wa'o'' as matres lectionis, with disambiguating diacritics, some of which are optional (''zabar'', ''zer'', ''pesh''), whereas some are not (''madd'', ''hamzah''). Urdu does not have short vowels at the end of words. This is a table of Urdu vowels: {| class="wikitable" !Romanization ![[International Phonetic Alphabet|Pronunciation]] !Final Form !Middle Form !Initial Form !Isolated Form |- | align=center|a | align=center|{{IPA|/ə/}} |align=center| |style="font-size: 150%" align=center|{{Nastaliq|سَر}} |style="font-size: 150%" align=center|{{Nastaliq|اَندر}} |style="font-size: 150%" align=center|{{Nastaliq|اَ}} |- | align=center|ā | align=center|{{IPA|/aː/}} |style="font-size: 150%" align=center|{{Nastaliq|وفا}} |style="font-size: 150%" align=center|{{Nastaliq|باغ}} |style="font-size: 150%" align=center|{{Nastaliq|آم}} |style="font-size: 150%" align=center|{{Nastaliq|آ}} |- | align=center|i |align=center|{{IPA|/ɪ/}} |align=center| |style="font-size: 150%" align=center|{{Nastaliq|دِن}} |style="font-size: 150%" align=center|{{Nastaliq|اِدھر}} |style="font-size: 150%" align=center|{{Nastaliq|اِ}} |- | align=center|ī | align=center|{{IPA|/iː/}} |style="font-size: 150%" align=center|{{Nastaliq|گِھڑی}} |style="font-size: 150%" align=center|{{Nastaliq|تِیسرا}} |style="font-size: 150%" align=center|{{Nastaliq|اِینٹ}} |style="font-size: 150%" align=center|{{Nastaliq|اِی}} |- | align=center|e | align=center|{{IPA|/eː/}} |style="font-size: 150%" align=center|{{Nastaliq|لڑکے}} |style="font-size: 150%" align=center|{{Nastaliq|میرا}} |style="font-size: 150%" align=center|{{Nastaliq|ایک}} |style="font-size: 150%" align=center|{{Nastaliq|اے}} |- | align=center|ai | align=center|{{IPA|/ɛː/}} |style="font-size: 150%" align=center|{{Nastaliq|ہَے}} |style="font-size: 150%" align=center|{{Nastaliq|کَیسا}} |style="font-size: 150%" align=center|{{Nastaliq|اَیسا}} |style="font-size: 150%" align=center|{{Nastaliq|اَے}} |- | align=center|u | align=center|{{IPA|/ʊ/}} | align=center| |style="font-size: 150%" align=center|{{Nastaliq|سُلطان}} |style="font-size: 150%" align=center|{{Nastaliq|اُلفت}} |style="font-size: 150%" align=center|{{Nastaliq|اُ}} |- | align=center|ū | align=center|{{IPA|/uː/}} |style="font-size: 150%" align=center|{{Nastaliq|قابُو}} |style="font-size: 150%" align=center|{{Nastaliq|دُور}} |style="font-size: 150%" align=center|{{Nastaliq|اُوپر}} |style="font-size: 150%" align=center|{{Nastaliq|اُو}} |- |- | align=center|o | align=center|{{IPA|/oː/}} |style="font-size: 150%" align=center|{{Nastaliq|کو}} |style="font-size: 150%" align=center|{{Nastaliq|دوست}} |style="font-size: 150%" align=center|{{Nastaliq|اوس}} |style="font-size: 150%" align=center|{{Nastaliq|او}} |- | align=center|au | align=center|{{IPA|/ɔː/}} |sstyle="font-size: 150%" align=center|{{Nastaliq|نَو}} |style="font-size: 150%" align=center|{{Nastaliq|مَوسم}} |style="font-size: 150%" align=center|{{Nastaliq|اَور}} |style="font-size: 150%" align=center|{{Nastaliq|اَو}} |} === ''Alif'' === ''Alif'' is the first letter of the Urdu alphabet, and it is used exclusively as a vowel. At the beginning of a word, ''alif'' can be used to represent any of the short vowels: {{Nastaliq|اب}} ''ab'', {{Nastaliq|اسم}} ''ism'', {{Nastaliq|اردو}} ''Urdū''. For long ''ā'' at the beginning of words alif-mad is used: {{Nastaliq|آپ}} ''āp'', but a plain alif in the middle and at the end: {{Nastaliq|بھاگنا}} ''bhāgnā''. === ''Wāʾo'' === ''Wāʾo'' is used to render the vowels "ū", "o", "u" and "au" ([uː], [oː], [ʊ] and [ɔː] respectively), and it is also used to render the [[labiodental approximant]], [ʋ]. === ''Ye'' === ''Ye'' is divided into two variants: ''choṭī ye'' ("little ye") and ''baṛī ye'' ("big ye"). ''Choṭī ye'' ({{Nastaliq|ی}}) is written in all forms exactly as in Persian. It is used for the long vowel "ī" and the consonant "y". ''Baṛī ye'' ({{Nastaliq|ے}}) is used to render the vowels "e" and "ai" ({{IPA|/eː/}} and {{IPA|/ɛː/}} respectively). ''Baṛī ye'' is distinguishable in writing from ''choṭī ye'' only when it comes at the end of a word/ligature. Additionally, ''Baṛī ye'' is never used to begin a word/ligature, unlike ''choṭī ye''. {| class="wikitable" !Letter's name !Final Form !Middle Form !Initial Form !Isolated Form |- |{{Nastaliq|چھوٹي يے}}<br />Choṭī ye |style="font-size: 150%" align=center|{{Nastaliq|ـی}} |rowspan="2" style="font-size: 150%" align=center|{{Nastaliq|ـیـ}} |rowspan="2" style="font-size: 150%" align=center|{{Nastaliq|یـ}} |style="font-size: 150%" align=center|{{Nastaliq|ی}} |- |{{Nastaliq|دو چشمي هے}}<br />Baṛī ye |style="font-size: 150%" align=center|{{Nastaliq|ـے}} |style="font-size: 150%" align=center|{{Nastaliq|ے}} |} === ''The 2 he's'' === ''He'' is divided into two variants: ''choṭī he'' ("little ye") and ''do-cashmī he'' ("two-eyed ye"). ''Choṭī he'' ({{Nastaliq|ہ}}) is writen zigzagged. It can only be used as in Persian. ''Do-cashmī he'' ({{Nastaliq|ھ}}) is written in all forms exactly as in Arabic Naskh style (as a loop), in order to create the aspirate consonants. {| class="wikitable" !Letter's name !Final Form !Middle Form !Initial Form !Isolated Form |- |{{Nastaliq|چھوٹي ھے}}<br />Choṭī he |style="font-size: 150%" align=center|{{Nastaliq|ـہ}} |style="font-size: 150%" align=center|{{Nastaliq|ـہـ}} |style="font-size: 150%" align=center|{{Nastaliq|ہـ}}<br />{{Nastaliq|ھـ}} |style="font-size: 150%" align=center|{{Nastaliq|ہ}} |- |{{Nastaliq|دو چشمي ھے}}<br />Do-cashmī he |style="font-size: 150%" align=center|{{Nastaliq|ـھ}} |style="font-size: 150%" align=center|{{Nastaliq|ـھـ}} |style="font-size: 150%" align=center|{{Nastaliq|ھـ}} |style="font-size: 150%" align=center|{{Nastaliq|ھ}} |} The [[Digraph (orthography)|digraphs]] of [[Aspirated consonant]], using ''do-cashmī he'' are as follow. {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" | '''Digraph'''<ref name="LoC"/> | '''Transcription'''<ref name="LoC"/> | '''IPA''' |- | style="font-size: 150%"|{{Nastaliq|بھ}} | ''bh'' | {{IPA|[bʱ]}} |- | style="font-size: 150%"|{{Nastaliq|پھ}} | ''ph'' | {{IPA|[pʰ]}} |- | style="font-size: 150%"|{{Nastaliq|تھ}} | ''th'' | {{IPA|[t̪ʰ]}} |- | style="font-size: 150%"|{{Nastaliq|ٹھ}} | ''ṭh'' | {{IPA|[ʈʰ]}} |- | style="font-size: 150%"|{{Nastaliq|جھ}} | ''jh'' | {{IPA|[d͡ʒʰ]}} |- | style="font-size: 150%"|{{Nastaliq|چھ}} | ''ch'' | {{IPA|[t͡ʃʰ]}} |- | style="font-size: 150%"|{{Nastaliq|دھ}} | ''dh'' | {{IPA|[d̪ʱ]}} |- | style="font-size: 150%"|{{Nastaliq|ڈھ}} | ''ḍh'' | {{IPA|[ɖʱ]}} |- | style="font-size: 150%"|{{Nastaliq|رھ}} | ''rh'' | {{IPA|[rʱ]}} |- | style="font-size: 150%"|{{Nastaliq|ڑھ}} | ''ṛh'' | {{IPA|[ɽʱ]}} |- | style="font-size: 150%"|{{Nastaliq|کھ}} | ''kh'' | {{IPA|[kʰ]}} |- | style="font-size: 150%"|{{Nastaliq|گھ}} | ''gh'' | {{IPA|[ɡʱ]}} |- | style="font-size: 150%"|{{Nastaliq|لھ}} | ''lh'' | {{IPA|[lʱ]}} |- | style="font-size: 150%"|{{Nastaliq|مھ}} | ''mh'' | {{IPA|[mʱ]}} |- | style="font-size: 150%"|{{Nastaliq|نھ}} | ''nh'' | {{IPA|[nʱ]}} |- | style="font-size: 150%"|{{Nastaliq|وھ}} | ''wh'' | {{IPA|[ʋʱ]}} |- | style="font-size: 150%"|{{Nastaliq|یھ}} | ''yh'' | {{IPA|[jʱ]}} |} === ''Ayn'' === ''Ayn'' in its initial and final position is silent in pronunciation and is replaced by the sound of its preceding or succeeding vowel. === ''Nun Ghunnah'' === Nasalized vowels are represented by ''Nun Ghunnah'' written after their non nasalized versions . like for example ''{{Nastaliq|ہَے}}'' when nasalized would become ''{{Nastaliq|ہَیں}}'' . In middle form ''Nun Gunnah'' is written just like ''Nun'' and is differentiated by a diacritic called ''Maghnoona'' or ''Ulta Jazm'' which is a [[superscript]] V symbol above the ن٘. Examples: {| class="wikitable" style=text-align:center |'''Form''' |'''Urdu''' | '''Transcription''' |- |Orthography |style="font-size: 150%"|{{lang|ur|{{Nq|ں}}}} | {{transl|ur|ALA-LC|''ṉ''}} |- |End Form | style="font-size: 150%"|{{lang|ur|{{Nq|میں}}}} | {{transl|ur|ALA-LC|''maiṉ''}} |- |Middle Form |style="font-size: 150%"|{{lang|ur|{{Nq|کن٘ول}}}} | {{transl|ur|ALA-LC|''kaṉwal''}} |} == Hamza == In [[Urdu]] ''Hamza'' is silent in all its forms except for when it is used as ''Hamza-e-Izafat'' . The main use of ''Hamza'' in [[Urdu]] is to indicate a vowel cluster. == Diacritics == Urdu uses the same subset of diacritics used in [[Arabic diacritics|Arabic]] based on Persian conventions. Urdu also uses [[Perso-Arabic Script|Persian]] names of the diacritics instead of Arabic names. Commonly used diacritics are Zabar (Arabic Fatḥah), Zer (Arabic Kasrah), Pesh (Arabic Ḍammah) which are used to clarify the pronunciation of vowels. Jazam (Arabic Sukun) is used to indicate a [[Consonant Cluster]] and Shad (Arabic Tashdid) which is used to indicate a [[Gemination]]. Other diacritics include Khari Zabar (Arabic Dagger alif), Do Zabar (Arabic Fathatan) which are found in some common [[Arabic]] loan words. Other Arabic diacritics are also sometimes used though very rarely in loan words from [[Arabic]]. Zer-e-Izafat and Hamza-e-Izafat are described in next section. Other than common diacritics [[Urdu]] also have special diacritics, which are often found only in dictionaries for the clarification of irregular pronunciation. These diacritics include Kasrah-e-Majhool, Fathah-e-Majhool, Dammah-e-Majhool, Maghnoona, Ulta Jazam, Alif-e-Wavi and some other very rare diacritics. Among these, only Maghnoona is used commonly in dictionaries and has a unicode representation at u0658. Other diacritics are only rarely written in printed form mainly in some advance dictionaries.<ref name="diacritics">[http://www.cle.org.pk/clt09/download/Papers/Paper20.pdf "Proposal of Inclusion of Certain Characters in Unicode"]</ref> == Iẓāfat == ''Iẓāfat'' is a syntactical construction of two nouns, where the first component is a determined noun, and the second is a determiner. [[Ezāfe|This construction]] was borrowed from Persian. A short vowel "i" is used to connect these two words. It may be written as ''zer'' ({{Nastaliq|ــِ}}) at the end of the first word, but usually is not written at all. If the first word ends in ''choṭī he'' ({{Nastaliq|ه}}) or ''ye'' ({{Nastaliq|ی}}) then ''hamzā'' ({{Nastaliq|ء}}) is used above the last letter ({{Nastaliq|ۂ}} or {{Nastaliq|ئ}}). If the first word ends in a long vowel then ''baṛī ye'' ({{Nastaliq|ے}}) with ''hamzā'' on top ({{Nastaliq|ئے}}) is written.{{sfn|Delacy|2003|p=99–100}} {| class="wikitable" !Forms||Example||Transliteration||Meaning |- | style="font-size: 150%"|{{Nastaliq|ــِ}}|| style="font-size: 150%"|{{Nastaliq|شیرِ پنجاب}}||''sher'''-i''' Panjāb''||the lion of Punjab |- | style="font-size: 150%"|{{Nastaliq|ۂ}}|| style="font-size: 150%"|{{Nastaliq|غزوهٔ هند}}||''ghazva'''-i''' Hind''|| the Conquest of India |- | style="font-size: 150%"|{{Nastaliq|ئ}}|| style="font-size: 150%"|{{Nastaliq|ولئ کامل}}||''valī'''-i''' kāmil''||perfect saint |- | style="font-size: 150%" rowspan="2"|{{Nastaliq|ئے}}|| style="font-size: 150%"|{{Nastaliq|روئے زمین}}||''rū'''-i''' zamīn''|| the surface of the Earth |- | style="font-size: 150%"|{{Nastaliq|صدائے بلند}}||''ṣadā'''-i''' buland''||a high voice |} == Computers and the Urdu alphabets == During the early days of computer, Urdu alphabets were not properly represented on any [[code page]]. One of the earliest code pages to represent Urdu was IBM Code Page 868 which dates back to 1990.<ref name="ibm">[ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/software/globalization/gcoc/attachments/CS01248.pdf "IBM 868 code page"]</ref> Other early code pages which represented Urdu alphabets were [[Windows-1256]] and [[MacArabic encoding]] both of which date back to the mid 1990s. In [[Unicode]], Urdu is represented inside the Arabic block. Another code page for Urdu, which is used in India, is [[Perso-Arabic Script Code for Information Interchange]]. In Pakistan, the 8-bit code page which is developed by [[National Language Authority]] is called Urdu Zabta Takhti ({{Nastaliq|اردو ضابطہ تختی}}) (UZT) <ref name="uzt">[http://cle.org.pk/Publication/papers/2001/uzt1.01.pdf "Urdu Zabta Takhti"]</ref> which represents Urdu in its most complete form including some of its specialized diacritics, though UZT is not designed to coexist with the Latin alphabet. == Romanization standards and systems == There are several romanization standards for writing Urdu with the Latin alphabet, though they are not very popular because most of them fall short of representing the Urdu language properly. Instead of standard romanization schemes, people on Internet, mobile phones and media often use a non-standard form of romanization which tries to mimic [[English Orthography|English orthography]]. The problem with this kind of romanization is that it can only be read by native speakers, and even for them with great difficulty. Among standardized romanization schemes, the most accurate is [[ALA-LC romanization]], which is also supported by [[National Language Authority]]. Other romanization schemes are often rejected because either they are unable to represent sounds in Urdu properly, or they often do not take regard of Urdu orthography, and favor pronunciation over orthography.<ref name="roman">[http://nlpd.gov.pk/uakhbareurdu/august2011/8.html "اردو رومن نقل حرفی ۔ ایک ابتدائی تعارف"]</ref> == See also == * [[Nasta'liq script]] * [[Persian alphabet]] * [[Urdu Wikipedia]] * [[Urdu keyboard]] * [[Urdu Braille]] * [[Urdu Informatics]] == References == {{Reflist}} == Sources == * {{cite book|last1=Delacy|first1=Richard|title=Beginner's Urdu Script|date=2003|publisher=McGraw-Hill|url=https://books.google.com/books?isbn=007141987X|ref=harv}} * {{cite book|last1=Delacy|first1=Richard|title=Read and write Urdu script|date=2010|publisher=McGraw-Hill|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kFrFSAAACAAJ|ref=harv}} * {{cite web|title=Urdu romanization|url=https://www.loc.gov/catdir/cpso/romanization/urdu.pdf|publisher=The Library of Congress}} * {{cite web|last1=Ishida|first1=Richard|title=Urdu script notes|url=http://rishida.net/scripts/urdu/}} == External links == {{Wikibooks|Urdu}} * [http://www.omniglot.com/writing/urdu.htm Urdu alphabet] * [http://www.user.uni-hannover.de/nhtcapri/urdu-alphabet.html Urdu alphabet with Devanagari equivalents] * [http://users.skynet.be/hugocoolens/newurdu/newurdu.html Hugo's Urdu Alphabet Page] * [http://calligraphyislamic.com calligraphyislamic.com], a resource for Urdu calligraphy and script * [http://www.columbia.edu/itc/mealac/pritchett/00urdu/urduscript/ Urdu Script Introduction from Columbia University] * [http://urducouncil.nic.in/welcome.html National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language] {{Urdu topics}} {{Arabic alphabets}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Urdu Alphabet}} [[Category:Hindustani orthography]] [[Category:Urdu]] [[Category:Arabic alphabets]] [[Category:Urdu alphabets]] [[Category:Arabic alphabets for South Asian languages]]'